


Satellites

by eskimo_piehaus



Category: Orphan Black
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5327117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eskimo_piehaus/pseuds/eskimo_piehaus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school AU. I know there's a lot of these, but I love the thought of Delphine being the new girl and Cosima being her tour guide and the two of them adventuring together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where this will go yet, so bear with me haha

It's the first day of school. Delphine sits at the same dining table with the same people, eating the same breakfast she would any other Monday. But it's different this morning. She is not in France. She is in America in a new home about to go to a new school and have to deal with more "new" than she wants. She sighs and brings her plate to the kitchen, still full, before going upstairs to get her bag. Delphine looks in the mirror and wants to care about what she looks like. She wants to want to look nice, to not look horrible on her first day. 

But she doesn't care. She doesn't care that she didn't brush her hair or tie her boots or that there's a blood stain on her shirt or that her jeans haven't been washed for a few weeks. She sighs and slings her messenger bag over her shoulder before heading back downstairs. She contemplates saying goodbye to her parents, but her mother is washing dishes and her father is in his study and she doesn't want to be a bother. So she walks out the front door without even a glance being thrown her way. 

Delphine isn't nervous when she steps onto the bus. She isn't nervous when she feels people staring at her and hushed voices from the girls sitting behind her. She isn't even nervous when she files out of the giant yellow tank and lands in a sea of swarming, loud teenagers. She just feels homesick and lonely. The office is easy enough to find, and enters into a small room filled with people. Some are waiting impatiently in chairs and others stand around while an Asian man speaks to the office attendant, his hand clamped onto the shoulder of a kid who's probably his son. 

Delphine runs a hand through her hair and looks around for an empty seat, catching the eye of a girl gazing curiously up at her from a book. The girl smiles when Delphine sees her, offering a small wave. Confused, Delphine offers a small wave in return and an even smaller smile. Then the smaller girl sets her book down and stands, sauntering over to the French girl in heels and a patterned dress. "Delphine, right?" She asks with a toothy smile, hand outstretched. Delphine blinks at her. She looks so different than anyone she's ever seen before. Her dark hair is dreaded and up in a bun and her dark eyes are visible through a pair of flashy glasses, a nose ring glinting in the fluorescent lighting. Her brain doesn't even know what to look at, there's so much going on. It's like looking at an abstract painting. She feels and hears the clink of rings when she takes the girls' hand, shaking it absentmindedly. "Bonjour," she says meekly, her mouth suddenly very dry. The other girl offers a throaty chuckle, her tongue poking out from behind her canines. "Enchantee. I'm Cosima." Now Delphine is nervous.


	2. Chapter 2

Now she cares. She cares that her hair isn't brushed and that her boots are still untied and that there's blood on her shirt and that her pants smell awful. She doesn't know why, but she doesn't want to mess up this first interaction she's having, which is very unlike her. Delphine doesn't know why she cares. But something about the way this girl just butchered her native tongue makes her giggle, surprising herself. She jerks her hand back reflexively, instantly regretting it when Cosima's eyebrow quirks up. "First day jitters?" She asks. She looks concerned and Delphine smiles at the genuineness of this girl. "Ah, oui. I am...nervous. A tiny bit," she smiles. 

Cosima smiles back. "Well lucky you. Because I am your assigned tour guide for the first two weeks and get to help you through your classes." She says pridefully. Delphine bites her lip. Two weeks? Every day? With this cute little oddball? She thinks she might just die. "Wow. An entire two weeks? In all my classes?" She asks. Cosima just nods. "But...what about you?" The dreaded girl laughs. "I keep on top of my game, don't worry. Actually, I'm...ahead. In, like, every class so. Yeah," she ends lamely. Delphine cocks her head. "Ahead?" She muses. "Well, I'm in all advanced stuff. Actually I'm getting way more credit than I need, you know, I'm like...I could be done in a matter of months in all honesty." Delphine thinks she sees a bit of a blush in the other girls face, and she smirks. "So I will not be hindering you in your studies, then," she nods," good to know."

Cosima laughs nervously and turns back towards the table, her hand going up to rub at the back of her head. "Do you...want to get this show on the road? I have your schedule in my purse and first period starts in like five minutes." The French girl nods and waits as Cosima gathers her things and leads them out of the office, holding the door open. She watches as Cosima unfolds a white packet of papers and attempts to smooth out the creases, peering out of her glasses to make out Delphine's classes. "Okay. Wow, um," she looks up at Delphine with curious and bemused eyes. "You're only taking three classes?" Delphine laughs. "Oui. I am also, as you say, going to be done in a few months." She watches as the spectacled girls mouth opens and closes, waiting for her to say something. "Sorry, I'm just like...damn. You're French AND smart AND totally just..." She shakes her head. She waits for her to say more, but Cosima just looks at her in amazement. "What?" She giggles. The smaller girls cheeks redden. "Uh, like...you do know that you're insanely attractive, right?"

Delphine bites her lip and looks down, trying not to grin. Is she flirting? Or just blunt in her kindness? Her stomach knots up and and she clears her throat, trying to think of a proper response. "I wish I could say that she's not always this gay, but she totally is," says an amused voice to Delphine's left. She looks up to see a girl with short, spiky blue hair looking at her with a smirk and she laughs. "Wh...no, no, no, I don't mean like...Jesus," Cosima says frantically, waving her hands before bring them up to pinch the bridge of her nose. The blue haired girl snickers before turning to Delphine. "I'm Lex. Watch out for dreads here, okay? She means well." She winks at Cosima and turns back down the hall. "Bitch," mutters Cosima, arms folded as she tries not to look at the French girl. Delphine just smiles and tips her head towards where they were headed. "Let's go. We might be late."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of AP Bio with Leekie, and the dorks geek out hardcore :)

The first class on her schedule is AP Biology and they are indeed late. Everyone stares at them as they walk in and shuffle quietly to an open lab station. "Ms. Niehaus, I don't recall you being on my roster," says a tall man with white hair, frowning at the girls. "Oh, I'm...just a student ambassador for a couple weeks," she shrugs, gesturing towards the French girl. The man nods. "Well. Make sure I get some sort affirmation from the office by today, please." He looks down at his desk before meeting Delphine's stare. "So. We have a new student. Looks like you're new to the continent too, correct?" Delphine nods and fiddles with her pencil, hoping he doesn't make her introduce herself. "Well, welcome to AP Bio. We're happy to have you. I'm Mr. Leekie and any questions you have, you can address me." 

Delphine nods in return and glances at Cosima, who smiles in reassurance. Once Leekie turns to explain whatever is on the board, Cosima leans in. "Don't worry, I'll help you out if you need any translating. He's a creep," she whispers into the taller girls hair. Delphine represses a shiver and smiles back tightly. "Thank you." Cosima nods once and then returns her attention to Leekie, leaving Delphine still looking at the other girl. She's struck with the sudden urge to put her hand over hers or tug on a dread or bump her shoulder--anything to keep her attention. But she knows she should be attentive, seeing as she does only have three classes, and so she turns back to the front of the room with a sigh.

"Delphine?" She jumps at the voice. "Quoi?" Cosima grins at the knee-jerk reaction. "Father of Evolution, buddy," she whispers behind her hand. "Oh, ehm...Charles Darwin," she musters, her voice sounding small and hoarse. Leekie nods. "Are you a little jet lagged, Ms. Cormier?" Delphine blinks and her cheeks redden. "I..." Cosima cuts in with a loud chuckle, her hands flailing about. "That's quite an understatement. She told me she got in at three last night, so you only got, what," she turns to the French girl with a shrug," an hour or two of sleep?" Delphine nods, playing along as best she can. Leekie raises his eyebrows. "Well, let's hope you get better sleep tonight. AP Biology requires you to be awake and prepared," he says pointedly. Delphine nods again before looking to her partner to match her smirk. "Thank you," she mouths. The dreadlocked girl just shrugs, her eyes flicking down to the other girls mouth for half a second before looking away. 

The class sits through the annual spiel of what the year will look like and the correct way to carry a microscope and why the syllabus is so important, bored and already tired. All except for the two girls, naturally. They answered just about every review question, speaking animatedly about cell theory, prokaryotes, synthetic sequences, genomes, the whole shebang. Leekie gave them each ten extra credit points at the end of class and asked them to see him after school. They walked out of class together while Cosima explained about the tattoos she wanted. "I really want a nautilus shell right here," she gestures to her forearm, "just because evolution is my favorite part of biology. I mean the whole idea of sacred geometry and the Fibonacci sequence and the fact that this pattern is in every single molecule of our DNA...I don't know, I think it's amazing." Delphine watches the small girl's eyes light up as she speaks and smiles. "Oui, I think it would suit you very well, Cosima. Ehm, I don't mean to interrupt but what is the next class?" 

"Oh, sorry. I go off on tangents a lot. Just like, stop me if you ever catch me ranting," she laughs, taking the schedule out of her purse. Delphine giggles. "It's fine, it's nice to know I have someone to talk to." Cosima skims her finger down the page, her eyebrows raising. "Well. Delphine," she looks up at the taller girl, "it would appear that you have a three hour lunch period with yours truly. So...if you don't have plans, which I'm assuming you don't...do you want to go on an adventure?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, to anyone that's been possibly keeping tabs on this. I've been trying to think of a way to steer this, so let me know what you think. It gets kinda heavy.

Delphine blinks. "Three hours?" She asks incredulously. "Yeah, well I mean you don't have to obviously. It's just like...if you want to, I have a car and we could explore and stuff," Cosima backtracks. Delphine shakes her head quickly. "Oh, non! I did not mean I was not interested, I just...that is a long time." Cosima shrugs. "I guess it is. I'm pretty used to it, though. It's nice to have that big break and then just come back and do a couple more hours." The French girl nods, biting her lip. "Oui. Well then...let's go." Cosima grins. 

"Yeah?" 

"Oui." 

"Alright. This way to the parking lot," she beckons for Delphine to follow. 

"Do we need to sign out or...?" The blonde trails off. Cosima gives a sheepish smile, adjusting her glasses. "We're supposed to but I just kind of do as I please. They never say anything unless you're skipping school on a day to day basis, so we should be fine." Delphine chuckles. "You are quite cheeky, non? I was expecting you to be quite different." The brunette glances sideways at her, frowning in bemusement. "Oh yeah? And what were you expecting?" Delphine looks thoughtful as she replies, "Well . . . the dreads . . . and . . . desolée. You are just an interesting mix, Cosima," she smiles. The brunette smiles back. "An interesting mix, huh? Man, you don't even know the half of it." 

As they exit through the doors, Delphine feels different than how she expected to feel today. She figured no one would pay her much attention and she would feel numb to the change in scenery. But this girl has put her at ease. She feels comfortable and light; so different to how the past six months have been. She tries not to think about it, but the memories surface anyways. They seem to find a way into her head when she lest expects them. Laying in bed instead of sitting studiously and quietly at a school desk. Staring at the walls and knowing she should instead be staring at assignment. Listening to her uneven breathing instead of a professor explaining a project. Feeling lukewarm bath water between her fingers instead of the smooth yellow paint of a pencil. The smell of blood instead of the coffee shop she would go to for lunch with her friends. Muffled screams distorted by near unconsciousness and fluorescent lighting and the sterile white of the hospital room. 

"Delphine?" She looks over at Cosima, now sitting in the drivers seat. She hadn't realized they'd gotten into the car already. The girl looks concerned, a crease between her eyebrows as she runs her hands over the steering wheel. "Oui?" She asks, placing a small smile on her face. Cosima lets a moment of silence pass, looking her over as if making a decision. "Um. Where to?" The blonde shrugs. "I don't know. You know the city better than I do, yes?" Cosima smirks. "I suppose I'll just have to surprise you." She pulls out of the parking space and hands Delphine a cord. "Music?" She asks. The French girl nods her head and plugs her phone in. 

It was one hundred degrees  
as we sat beneath a willow tree  
who's tears didn't care  
they just hung in the air  
and refused to fall  
to fall

"I wouldn't have pegged you as a Death Cab fan," Cosima comments as the song starts. Delphine raises an eyebrow. "Did you think I listen to French ballads and sat around drinking wine and eating baguettes and fancy cheese?" The brunette giggles and pushes up her glasses, casting a glance at her passenger. "Well, I mean...something like that. French stereotypes and all." Delphine shakes her head. "Only when I'm feeling particularly French." They share a smile and sit in comfortable silence as the song plays out, finishing just as they pull into the parking lot of a cafe of some sort. 

"So," Cosima starts as they step out of the vehicle, "this is my favorite coffee shop. Better than Starbucks, I guarantee it." She holds the door open for Delphine, and they're both hit with the strong scent of coffee and an underlying citrusy tone. The lighting is dim and all sorts of artwork hangs around the small space, filled with love seats and arm chairs of all sorts. "Wow," Delphine muses. "So this is your hipster coffee shop?" She teases. Cosima lightly seats her arm. "I prefer hippie, thank you very much." 

Cosima orders them both cappuccinos with a side shot of espresso, claiming it would help the girls get through the rest of the school day. "There's nothing worse than going back and being dead for the remaining two hours; trust me, I would know." Delphine asks Cosima all about her life, learning about her closest friends, Sarah, Felix, Alison, Tony, and Helena. Cosima says that she's wanted to do something with biology for forever, and that she's trying to get into Berkeley and possibly the U of Minnesota as a backup. Cosima's favorite movie is a documentary about biology, something with 'fish' in the title. Her dad is an English professor and her mom works as a nature guide for some of the state parks. "English, really? My father was a French instructor part time in Paris." Cosima leans in, interested. "Oh cool, cool! What does your mom do?" She asks enthusiastically. 

"She was a nurse at the hospital in Lille."

"So what do they do now?"

"Well my father teaches French at the university here, and I believe my mother is looking for a new medical assistance position."

"Do you miss it?"

Delphine bites her lip, choosing her words carefully. "I...I miss Lille sometimes. But you know, this still feels so surreal. Like I'm on vacation or something. We only got here a few months ago." Cosima nods in understanding. "Yeah, I moved here from San Fran, so I get that. I mean I was nine at the time, but you know. It's still home. I can't even imagine moving from one continent to another, though." Delphine shrugs. "It's not so bad. I didn't have a three hour lunch in France," she jokes. Cosima smiles into her mug. "So did you move for one of your parent's jobs?" Delphine drops her gaze. "Uh...no. Just needed a change, I suppose." Cosima raises her eyebrows. "A continent jump seems a little excessive for a change of scenery," she comments, obviously waiting for an explanation. 

It's too early to tell Cosima the real reason she's here, she knows. Best not to scare off her first potential friend or make it a relationship based off of pity. So she goes as close to the truth as she can get without plainly lying. "Well my mother is a nurse, and apparently the clinics here are very good. More money and more opportunities." Cosima looks at her oddly then, like she can see straight through her. "What, do have like really shitty healthcare in France or something?" She pries, unknowingly making Delphine more and more anxious. Her fingers go automatically to her wrists, running them over the fresh scars. "Non...I don't know." Cosima looks curious but decides to drop the subject with a slow "okay..." Before glancing down at Delphine's hands. 

She sees them. She's familiar enough with the shiny pink scars that decorate Helena's arms, and knows those are no accident. People don't accidentally try to kill themselves. And although she barely even knows Delphine, she knows that she'll do anything to make sure there aren't more scars in the future. Because the worst scars are the ones you can't see, and no parent should have to deal with a child taking their own life. Delphine's shouldn't. Beth's certainly shouldn't have, either.


	5. Chapter 5

Cosima opens her mouth, regretting the impulsive nature of her tongue before she can think to control herself. "You know, I had this friend growing up. And she was really great. She, uh, had this wicked sense of humor and...and she played basketball and she was just...amazing. Her name was Beth." Cosima smiles at Delphine, who is now regarding her with a curious gaze. "Last year, though, she came back from summer vacation and she was different. Like just not herself. And I tried to talk to her cause I was obviously worried but...she wouldn't really say a whole lot. And we all knew there was something wrong but no one could get through to her so I guess we sort of...gave up? In a way? And that's...I regret it a lot. So I mean, I know we just met and this may seem really forward but if you ever feel down or just need someone to talk to, I'm here. Like anything you need, seriously." 

Delphine looks down. "What happened to her?" She asks softly. Cosima sighs. "She...jumped. At a train station last year." Delphine gets up slowly and sits next to Cosima, draping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Cosima. I...have never lost a friend in that way. And I can't imagine how you...cope. With it." She had never thought about that part when she was bleeding out in the tub. She understands now how selfish she was then. Focused on her pain, her problems. And she feels guilty for comforting Cosima. The smaller girl takes Delphine's hand in hers and twists it so that the scars face up, tracing them softly. 

"Delphine...I know it's none of my business but...please don't try again." Delphine nods her head, blinking back tears. She takes in a deep breath. "I certainly hadn't intended to say anything to you...today but..." She clears her throat and takes her arm off the other girl so she can sit facing her. "If we're talking about these things sooner rather than later, I may as well tell the truth." Cosima is watching her expectantly, a soft and open expression on her face, so Delphine continues. "We...didn't just move here for my mother's benefit. I am getting treatment from the clinic here because they insisted that I needed the best, and...I needed away from home."

"Okay...well...are you...do you feel better? Since you've been here?" Delphine shrugs. "Not really. But not worse. I mean...I haven't felt like doing this," she gestured to her wrists, "in a while. So that's something." Cosima smiles. "Good." She looks down at her hands. Wow, this conversation escalated quickly. One minute they're drinking coffee, the next it's Beth, who is never talked about. And Delphine obviously felt comfortable enough to talk about her own brush with self harm. Cosima thanks her lucky stars she didn't push the other girl away, knowing it can be a very touchy subject. It was with Beth, at least. 

"Cosima?" The brunette looks back up at the French girl, who is biting her lip. "I ehm...I didn't speak to any of my friends about this at home. They would have been...very judgmental. And I'm not sure why I feel okay with talking to you about it but...thank you. It really...it means a lot." Cosima's heart flutters. How did Delphine not have anyone to talk to? Surely she must have had someone. An intelligent, attractive girl—who wouldn't want to be there for her? She pushes the idea away as she responds to the French girl. "Of course, Delphine. Like I said...anything you need." Delphine nods her head, staring into her lap. With a small smile, Cosima lightly shoves Delphine's legs. "Alright, that's enough of the heavy. Let's get out of here and sight see." This earns a smile from the blonde, who allows Cosima to help her to her feet. 

Back in the car, Cosima takes control of the aux cord and blasts Purity Ring as they cruise through the back roads. "So is the next place still a surprise?" Delphine asks at some point. The brunette grins her fangy grin and turns to wink at her passenger. "You bet." Delphine blushes at the gesture and looks out the window, taking in the buildings and passerby. She's still not entirely over that nagging feeling of awkward anxiety. She's extremely worried that she said more to Cosima than she should have, considering they just met, but she couldn't help it. There was something about her that made Delphine want to tell her everything. She couldn't know, of course, that Cosima was just as anxious as well. She was mentally slapping herself for practically lecturing the cute French girl about self harm and she was sure Delphine was just too polite to tell her to shut the hell up. And so they sit in silence, besides the steady thrum of the electronic music filling the car. 

_____________________________________

"Oh, holy shit! Delphine, come here," she beckons, practically jumping up and down. Delphine laughs and comes back over to Cosima for what must have been the fourth time now, who is holding a record and clenching it close to her tiny frame. Before Delphine can ask her what she found this time, the brunette holds it up smugly. Delphine looks at the woman...or was it a man? She could not tell with all of the makeup on the face and the short, odd hair. She looks at it curiously for a few moments before Cosima's eyes grow wide. "No,no,no,no,no...do NOT tell me you don't know who David Bowie is." So it IS a man. Alright. Delphine shrugs. "No? Should I?" Cosima raises both of her eyebrows and shakes her head in disbelief. "Dude..." Delphine laughs at the expression, putting a hand on her...her friend? Oui, Cosima was her friend. She put her ha d on her friend's shoulder and leaned in. "Only French ballads, remember?" She said with a sly grin. 

Cosima turns to place the record back on the shelf, tossing a, "yeah, and Death Cab," over her shoulder with a twitch of her lips. "Oui, and Death Cab. And The Cure." Cosima turns back around with a quizzical look on her face. "The Cure?" Delphine nods. "My aunt gave me this single when I was eight—Just Like Heaven—and it was my favorite. I listened to it all the time," she says thoughtfully, eyes glazing over as she remembers Adeline bending down to her 13-year-old self. "This is how it feels to fall in love, darling. You're still fairly young, but if you think it's happened just listen to this song. If if it feels like this, you've found it." Delphine had kept it for a year. At the end of that year, she'd been dating a boy for a a couple weeks and wanted to be in love. She wanted to marry him and to always have someone be there for her and to kiss someone whenever she wanted. So she got home, played the song, and...and nothing. It didn't make her think of how she felt with him. And instead of being sad about it she got extremely angry. So angry, in fact, that she broke the record and dumped it in the trash. She had come to regret it shortly after but could never find another anywhere and had sort of given up her search. And now, she didn't even have a use for it. Falling in love was the last thing she would be doing anytime soon. 

Cosima's soft hum breaks her out of her thoughts. "Yeah, they're alright I guess. Friday I'm In Love is the only one I know, though, and it gets a little old." Her eyes drift to Delphine's wrists subconsciously and she immediately averts her gaze, chiding herself again for being so weird about it earlier. Delphine didn't seem to mind, but still. She feels like she cheated in a way. There's no reason anyone should be talking about those things the first day they meet. Those kinds of conversations usually bring people closer, but that's usually for people who are already friends or dating or whatever. She and Delphine are still mostly strangers—just strangers who know some big things about each other. 

And being Cosima, she doesn't want to build a relationship too tall too fast. So she decides to focus on the little things. Like how to make Delphine smile, and her sly humor, and what makes her blush and...what makes her give Cosima that look. The one where she looks like she's about to pin her up against the wall. Cosima sighs and steps a little further away from her companion as they browse the small music shop, upset with her obvious attraction to the girl. She doesn't want it to be there but it definitely is. Delphine is beautiful, charming, witty...it's a lot to get stuck with for an entire day. That's the other thing she hadn't told Delphine—they had all three of their only classes together. And seeing as Cosima was the first friend the French girl had made, they'd probably be hanging out together a lot for the first week or so and Cosima wasn't sure how she felt about it. 

They spend a little bit longer at the store before Cosima asks her if she'd like to come back to her house for lunch and Delphine readily agrees. When they get there the driveway is unsurprisingly empty and Cosima sighs as she pushes the key into the lock. Her dad used to meet up with her for lunch but now with his new girlfriend he's hardly ever available. She finds that as she flits around the kitchen, getting out juice and and sandwich supplies, she likes having someone around the normally empty space. Delphine makes polite conversation, speaking about different science research that she's read up on and excitedly discussing them with Cosima whilst looking around the home.

It's clean, but also very cluttered. Stacks of papers and folders sit in stacks scattered around the living space, as well as piles of books and records on top of a piano. The dishwasher is open, half full, and various spices and oils sit on the counter. It adds a comfortable air, though; it feels lived in. Delphine's own home is meticulously clean and there is minimal furniture. Cosima smiles as she takes in the blonde's curious gaze and turns on a stove burner. "I make the best grilled cheese if you want one," she offers. Delphine looks at her, obviously confused. "A what?" Cosima chuckles. Of course. She's French. "It's like a grilled sandwich with cheese in it. Except I put all kinds of other stuff in it so it's more like a panini, but..." She trails off with a shrug. Delphine raises an eyebrow. "Why not," she says with a small smile. The brunette smiles and turns back to the stove, placing one of the prepared sandwiches on the pan and adjusting the heat. When they're done, Cosima hands a plate to Delphine along with a glass of juice and ushers her upstairs. 

"Welcome to the war zone," she announces as the door swings open to reveal her chaotic living space. Delphine blinks as she tries to take it all in. The room breathes creativity. A framed table of the elements hangs over the bed, and various other posters decorate the walls as well. Charles Darwin, a nautilus shell, even one of Albert Einstein with a pipe in his mouth and a colorful sky of stars behind him. Cosima's desk holds an array of test tubes and composition notebooks, as well as more than a few mugs with a bit of coffee left in them. A crystal ashtray sits by one corner with a large candle next to it, and a laptop with red and blue DNA strands covering the back sits squarely in the middle. The floor is a mess of earthy colored clothing, deep browns and maroons, rich orange and dusty lilac. The crumpled bedspread is even a dark red and the curtains (undoubtedly askew) match. 

As she and Cosima sit down on the bed she notices the wide array of scarves hanging from a few hooks by the closet and the shelf above the headboard holding a few random objects. A few CDs, along with a small silk bag and a pretty scuffed up teddy bear sit snugly together. "You're judging me. I can feel it," Cosima grins through a mouthful of food. Delphine's attention is captured by the small brunette and she blinks at the expression on her face. She looks so much younger here, in this space. She can just picture a 7-year-old girl with awkwardly big glasses dragging that little teddy bear around and pointing to bugs and the condensation on a glass of ice water. Curious and innocent. Delphine smiles back and shakes her head to clear the image. "Non, non. I was just taking it all in. It is very...you. Although I must say I expected a strange pet or something." Cosima holds up a finger. "Ah! You came a week too late. I gave Crick away last week," she laughs. "And Crick was a...?" Delphine prompts. 

"Oh," Cosima begins flailing her hands around as she continues, "well, see I had Watson AND Crick but uh...Crick sort of...ate him. Which is why I got rid of Crick. Crick the dick," she smirks as Delphine chuckles. "He was a snake and poor old Watson was a little baby mouse. I guess I should have been more attentive when they were both on the floor while I was studying," she frowns. Delphine shakes her head in amusement. "A science geek without common sense," she teases, earning a light whack from the brunette in turn. "I'm in the top 1% of the state, cut me some slack, dude," she says playfully, secretly hoping to impress the blonde. "And I was in the top 2% in the country; don't get too cocky," Delphine retorts, laughing when Cosima's eyes grow noticeably bigger. "In the country?" Delphine nods, biting her lower lip. "Holy shit," she breathes. "What are you some kind of prodigal genius? Are you related to someone I would know?"

Delphine shakes her head, still beaming at Cosima, who is obviously bewildered. "Non. I'm just a very hard worker." Cosima cocks her head. "Okay, so I'm like uber impressed, obvs, but...how in the hell are you not graduating even earlier than I am?" Delphine shrugs. "I suppose I've had my fair share of absences." Cosima rolls her eyes. "Of course; I'm sure the smartest girl in France can afford to take more than the usual amount of personal days," she says with fake malice. Delphine arches an eyebrow. "Or I just needed to relieve some stress. You know, the boys in Paris are extremely good at that," she insinuates, grinning as Cosima chokes on her juice. After clearing her throat she gives Delphine an odd look, saying, "I wouldn't know." Delphine shrugs. "Of course not, you didn't live in Paris," she says cheekily. Cosima chuckles. "I meant the whole dude thing," she explains, smiling. Two can play at this game. Delphine frowns, obviously confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean regardless of how stressed out I was, or where I was, or even if I wasn't stressed at all, I'd still pick a girl." She watches Delphine's face as realization dawns on her and she grins. She definitely wasn't expecting that. "Oh. So you're exclusively into women then?" She ventures hesitantly. Cosima hums an affirmation. "Yup. Always have been, no doubt always will. And trust me, they're probably just as good at relieving stress," she winks. Delphine thinks back to the brief encounter they'd had with that blue haired girl earlier. She had definitely said something along these lines about the brunette but Delphine had taken it as a friendly jab. Now it seemed more like...she didn't know but for some reason it made her feel strange. She tried to pin it down but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Blushing, she meets Cosima's gaze. "Well, I suppose that's one of the few things I don't know much about." Cosima drops the eye contact shyly, not daring to share her thoughts out loud.


End file.
